Таинственный остров

           "Ourgoodgenius,Neb,ourgoodgenius,whowillshuthismouthforhim,ifhesomuchaspretendstoopenit!"

           Asmaybeseen,thesailor’sconfidenceinthetutelarydeityofhisislandwasabsolute,and,certainly,theoccultpower,manifesteduntilnowinsomanyinexplicableways,appearedtobeunlimited;butalsoitknewhowtoescapethecolonists’mostminuteresearches,for,inspiteofalltheirefforts,inspiteofthemorethanzeal,—theobstinacy,—withwhichtheycarriedontheirexploration,theretreatofthemysteriousbeingcouldnotbediscovered.

           Fromthe19thtothe20thofFebruarythecircleofinvestigationwasextendedtoallthenorthernregionofLincolnIsland,whosemostsecretnookswereexplored.Thecolonistsevenwentthelengthoftappingeveryrock.Thesearchwasextendedtotheextremevergeofthemountain.Itwasexploredthustotheverysummitofthetruncatedconeterminatingthefirstrowofrocks,thentotheupperridgeoftheenormoushat,atthebottomofwhichopenedthecrater.

           Theydidmore;theyvisitedthegulf,nowextinct,butinwhosedepthstherumblingcouldbedistinctlyheard.However,nosignofsmokeorvapor,noheatingoftherock,indicatedanapproachingeruption.Butneitherthere,norinanyotherpartofMountFranklin,didthecolonistsfindanytracesofhimofwhomtheywereinsearch.

           Theirinvestigationswerethendirectedtothedowns